Khlongs in Old Bangkok

[ooddy]

Is there a map that show old Bangkok with klongs, before they were filled up with asphalt and concrete for roads and highways?

Back in the 1950, I used to walk along a beautiful tree-lined klong along Silom Road. It was a wonderfull days in Bangkok: no traffic, no pollution!!!.

I wish someone preserve some good pictures of that era, from 1940 through 1970. Although there is a good book on the subject regarding "Bangkok Then and Now", but it doesn't cover klongs...

[GWR]

Some rather limited information here. I've spent a bit of time on this issue with very little to show for it:-
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=4092&postcount=1

[Wisarut]

You should read the book "Bridge around Bangkok" soyou canseen the glimse of the canalsand bridges round BKK .. and many of those photo can be seen
in the National Archeives. :D

Oh, BTW ... Lad Pho Short cat wasoriginally dug in 1628 by the order of King Thai Sah ... to get aroudn with the curve at Klogn Toei and Bang Krajao
(AKA Kaho Niaw Bood curve sicne it take so logn time for the ship to go that the sticky rice turned ROTTEN and Stinky) ...

However, La Pho canal was shallowed by hte command of King Rama I due to hte complains from the localofruit orchard onwers that the saline water had seeped into theri irrigation system during the dry season.

Later on, Kign Rama II had asked the immigrant Mon people who settled down at nakhon Kueankhan to dug Lad Luang Shortcut canal as a substitute of the shallowed Lad Pho.

In 1907-1908, Maenam Motorboat Co. Ltd. (subsidiary of Siam Electricity Co.Ltd )had set up steam tram (2 Gasolene tramcars later) that go parallel with Lad Laung canal before turnign left to go alogn Tha Hin Road (Now, nakhon kuean Khan road - the mainstreet of Phra Padaeng) since the boats of Maenam Motorboat wer too big to go through Lad Luang. The PakladTram was bandoned aroudn 1940 due to the fuel shortage or so.

[airlana]

Here's a couple of old maps of BKK with some detail of klongs

This first one has the caption:

"Perhaps the first unstylised map of Bangkok. Although this reproduction is poor, being based on a poor copy on transfer paper of the original, a reasonably good general impression of the city circa 1870 is conveyed and the annotations, where readable, yield a considerable amount of information available from no other source"

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/BangkokMap1870s.jpg

The same map in large size 1.2MB

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/BangkokMap1870.jpg

[airlana]

And another map, this one circa 1900

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/BangkokMap1900s.jpg

unfortunately the place names are in Thai and it's difficult to see much detail
in a small size picture.

A large version 4.2MB is at

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/BangkokMap1900.jpg

With a little effort one can differentiate the klongs from roads.

[If you need a copy of this map, please do so now.
I've only limited space at this web and 4.2MB takes up a fair chunk,
so will be deleting it in a few weeks - airlana]

[ncr]

A large version 4.2MB is at

http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/airlana/BangkokMap1900.jpg

With a little effort one can differentiate the klongs from roads.[/I]Wow, what a monster of a map :)
Cool. Thanks for that. Where did you find it? Who produced it? By the way, it even shows the Hualamphong Station of the Paknam Railway on Rama IV Road.

[ooddy]

Thank you, Khun airlana, that was a great map!!!

Now, what do I do with it? I guess if someone would superimpose those old Klongs on some of new Bangkok maps, that would be fasinating to see how many of those klongs still left in place.

It's probably a wishful thinking. But just in case someone has a lot of time and passion and interest in doing those stuff...

[airlana]

Wow, what a monster of a map :)
Cool. Thanks for that. Where did you find it? Who produced it? By the way, it even shows the Hualamphong Station of the Paknam Railway on Rama IV Road.


yes ncr it is a monster map - enlarged from A4 size.

Both maps come from "Thailand - The Environment of Modernisation'' by Sternstein and published by McGraw Hill, Australia 1976

The book credits the 1870 map "Bradley D P Annotated Map of Bangkok Mission Press Singapore 1870"

The monster 1900 map "Thai Map held at the Royal Thai Survey Department, Bangkok"

I may have some others - one benefit of being a hoarder [just ask Mrs Airlana]
Will have a 'search' when time permits

airlana
.